This week

[novapsyche]

So, to recap:

Congress repeals the time-honored writ of habeas corpus.

A leaked National Intelligence Estimate disputes Bush's line that things are going well in the fight in Iraq--in fact, the war has created more terrorists.

Bob Woodward tries to resurrect his reputation with his new book, State of Denial. (I don't know if I'm yet ready to forgive him for his role in the Plame affair.)

Rice lies through her teeth again about events leading up to 9/11.

Frist suggests we should give control of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

North Korea announces it plans to test a nuclear weapon.

No one's talking about Iran anymore. (Or Israel and Palestine, for that matter.)

And that's without Mark Foley.

Comments

[xterminal.livejournal.com]

Woodward did, at least, 'twould seem, cast Ken Blackwell in the light he so well and truly deserves.

Now, if we can get a single Ohioan to actually read the damn thing before the elections, this sucker might go down in flames.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Do you have a source castigating Condi? Because I'm writing an essay on her "convenient memory".

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

Not castigating, per se. I'm still leafing through what all Google News brings up about her.

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

Have you read the text of the Military Commission Act? I finally did yesterday, and it's not as bad as the liberal talking points: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:2:./temp/~c109H6DaTh::

It only sets up military tribunals and suspends habeas corpous for "alien unlawful enemy combatants." It does leave the door open for citizens to be labelled "unlawful enemy combatants," but says nothing about what to do with them, meaning previous law would still apply. What this means for Vincent Padilla, I don't know...

[pgdudda.livejournal.com]

*ahem*

*holds up his green card*

What's to prevent the government from declaring me an enemy combatant and holding me in a jail cell indefinitely and without charge(s), let alone a trial?

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it sucks for you. I'm not saying this legislation is fine or anything, but there's been a lot of talk about how it authorizes the president to disappear anyone, anywhere, at any time -- even some Yale law professor is going around saying that in the LA Times -- but it doesn't seem to be true.

Even if you were in your home country, your only protection would be the international stink your country would raise if you were abducted by the US gov't...but there was that French guy picked up in Egypt and held for a year or two in secret CIA prisons, and no one seemed much to care. Watch your back, buddy. We be fascists.

[pgdudda.livejournal.com]

Do I think it's *likely*? No.

Is it theoretically *possible*? Yes.

And governments with fascist-type powers have a really really bad historical track record of using said powers wisely and ethically.